Wednesday February 18th

Dad. and I did chores most of the morning besides taking the wire off the posts in the hen yard so we could get through with the other hen house which we in tend to put in the north east corner of the yard. We had to pump water for the cattle this morning as there wasn't enough wind to turn the windmill, it took us over half an hour to pump half a tank full, we took turns at it, it is the first time we have had to pump for them this winter, and if we had a bigger tank which would hold two or three days supply, it wouldn't matter about it being quiet for one day.

As soon as we could after dinner Dad and I went down to get the old hen house Jack Walker didn't come for quite a while, but I went up town and got Huby and we got it raised up in front nearly high enough to back the sleighs under, when Johnny came he said he thought it would pay us to raise it up high enough behind to back the sleighs, so we did and without so very much more work got it loaded beautifully, we were afraid the top of the pigeon house which Dad. built on the roof of the hen house would catch on wires and branches but we hated to take it off, as it has been there so long but Johnny said he thought it would go alright. The first obstruction occured going out the lane and we had to chop a limb off Mrs. Low's apple tree, but got past. Then going from the lane gate to the road where Dad. had a nice driveway fixed the road-scraper made a nasty ditch and never filled it in. Johnny was afraid the building might tip over on the horses going over the bump so